{"id":1837,"date":"2025-08-29T15:10:33","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T19:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/?p=1837"},"modified":"2025-08-29T15:10:46","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T19:10:46","slug":"recap-12-weeks-to-done-a-summer-of-writing-community-at-bmcc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/blog\/recap-12-weeks-to-done-a-summer-of-writing-community-at-bmcc\/","title":{"rendered":"Recap: 12 Weeks to Done! A Summer of Writing &amp; Community at BMCC"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-post-date has-small-font-size\"><time datetime=\"2025-08-29T15:10:33-04:00\">August 29, 2025<\/time><\/div>\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-post-title\">Recap: 12 Weeks to Done! A Summer of Writing &amp; Community at BMCC<\/h1>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-co-authors-plus-coauthors is-layout-flow wp-block-co-authors-plus-coauthors-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-bottom:0\"><span class=\"wp-block-co-authors-plus-coauthors__prefix\">by <\/span><div class=\"wp-block-co-authors-plus-coauthor\"><p style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-block-co-authors-plus-name\">Craig Nielsen<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:6px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a coffee shop table with a notebook, laptop, and hand holding a pen.\" class=\"wp-image-1852\" style=\"width:209px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-930x620.jpg 930w, https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image credit: Startupstockphotos, used under Pixabay license<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This summer, the BMCC Library hosted its inaugural <strong>12 Weeks to Done! Summer Writing Group<\/strong>, creating a dedicated space for faculty and staff to focus on their summer writing goals. The writing group was facilitated by Open Knowledge Librarian jean amaral and myself, Adjunct Research Librarian Craig Nielsen. Meeting every Wednesday morning across twelve weeks, participants carved out time to write, built momentum, and supported each other along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike a traditional writing workshop, where participants give and receive feedback, this group was more about accountability and motivation: an opportunity to show up, write together, and mark personal progress from week to week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How it worked &#8211; regular structure, flexible format<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The group gathered on Wednesday mornings for two hours in a <strong>hybrid format<\/strong>: online via Zoom and in-person in the CETLS conference room (S510D). This flexible approach ensured maximum attendance and accessibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each session began with quick check-ins and discussion before transitioning into focused and silent co-writing time. Participants could choose their preferred environment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Individual breakout rooms<\/strong> in Zoom that they could self-assign to for distraction-free writing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Group writing spaces<\/strong> (virtual and in-person) for those who preferred the motivation of working alongside others<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, everyone received a copy of <strong><em>Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks<\/em><\/strong> by Wendy Laura Belcher\u2013the original inspiration behind the writing group. While not everyone followed the book step by step, many drew inspiration and strategies from it throughout the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A diversity of projects<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The writing group brought together BMCC faculty and staff working across disciplines and even different genres. Projects varied widely, from academic journal articles, book chapters, and dissertations, to creative works like poetry collections and novels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The common thread was a commitment to making steady progress, supported by a recurring hybrid space and the presence of a writing community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scholarly publishing breakouts<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to writing time, the group offered <strong>optional breakout sessions and tutorials<\/strong> on different topics related to the scholarly publishing ecosystem. These sessions, based on participant interest, sparked lively and productive exchanges. Our topics this summer included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Identifying publication outlets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open Access (OA) publishing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Predatory &amp; faux publishers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Zotero Citation Manager (tutorial)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The role of AI\/LLMs in scholarship<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Citational justice<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These conversations, held approximately half of the 12 weeks, showcased the vibrant scholarly interests at BMCC. Community colleges aren\u2019t typically thought of as centers for scholarly communication, but the engagement we received demonstrated a strong appetite among faculty and staff for these critical conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Impact and outcomes<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The 12 Weeks to Done! Summer Writing Group made a genuine difference for participants. According to our end-of-program survey:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>100% of respondents<\/strong> said they would <em>highly recommend<\/em>&nbsp;future versions of the writing group to a colleague.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Over 70%<\/strong> reported either \u201csignificant progress\u201d or \u201ccompletion\u201d of their summer writing projects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A majority wanted the optional breakout discussions to continue in future sessions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>One participant shared:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">It was so motivating to be a part of the group, to know that other people were serious about getting their work done, and I could be too. I did some work during the sessions, but much throughout the week, using the sessions as marker point for having made progress. [&#8230;] I would love to be a part of this again in the Fall. Thank you for offering it!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>These results speak to the power of community, accountability, and dedicated time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s next? Join us this Fall!<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The success of this summer\u2019s 12 Weeks to Done! Writing Group highlights the demand for ongoing, regularly held spaces that support writing and scholarly exchange at BMCC. We\u2019re excited to announce that <strong>another 12-week series will be held in Fall 2025<\/strong>, starting the week of September 15. Stay tuned for more details!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A heartfelt thank you to all of the participants who brought their energy, projects, and dedication week after week. The BMCC Library is proud to support not only our students but also the scholarship and creativity of our staff and faculty. We can\u2019t wait to write with you again soon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This summer, the BMCC Library hosted its inaugural 12 Weeks to Done! Summer Writing Group, creating a dedicated space for faculty and staff to carve out time to write, build momentum, and support each other along the way. Learn more about the summer group and stay tuned for details about our fall series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":1852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"[\"content\",\"tags\",\"comments\"]","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"coauthors":[61],"class_list":["post-1837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop.jpg",2048,1366,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-1536x1025.jpg",1536,1025,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop.jpg",2048,1366,false],"neve-blog":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-930x620.jpg",930,620,true],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop.jpg",300,200,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop.jpg",400,267,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop.jpg",600,400,false]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"<p>This summer, the BMCC Library hosted its inaugural 12 Weeks to Done! Summer Writing Group, creating a dedicated space for faculty and staff to carve out time to write, build momentum, and support each other along the way. Learn more about the summer group and stay tuned for details about our fall series.<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"<a href=\"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/category\/blog\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Blog<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"Gina Cherry","url":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/author\/gcherry\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop.jpg",2048,1366,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-1536x1025.jpg",1536,1025,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop.jpg",2048,1366,false],"neve-blog":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop-930x620.jpg",930,620,true],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop.jpg",300,200,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop.jpg",400,267,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4182\/2025\/08\/writing-coffee-shop.jpg",600,400,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Gina Cherry","author_link":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/author\/gcherry\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"This summer, the BMCC Library hosted its inaugural 12 Weeks to Done! Summer Writing Group, creating a dedicated space for faculty and staff to carve out time to write, build momentum, and support each other along the way. Learn more about the summer group and stay tuned for details about our fall series.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1837"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1890,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837\/revisions\/1890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1837"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-faculty-collaboratory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}